What Once Was Lost
by Xerexs
Summary: B/V that's gone slightly A/U. Set in those 3 magical years with twists including a mysterious plan hatched by V-man, hey is the spaceship about to crash?!?! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!! I NEED FEEDBACK! Enjoy! ^_^
1. Steamy Coffee

Author's Note: This is my first DBZ fanfic, not to mention my first B/V fic. Please, please, please review!!! I really need to know if people think I should continue this fic. I also really need some constructive criticism. So be honest in your reviews, but try to be gentle. ^_^ I'm a vegie-head/Bulma fanfic newbie. Thanks so much for reading! ENJOY!  
  
Disclaimer: If you think I own DBZ or any other copyrighted material that I have slipped into this fanfic. I suggest you refill your meds, or seek professional assistance.  
  
What Once Was Lost  
  
Chapter 1 - Steamy Coffee  
  
"Why do I always have to clean up after that monkey?" Bulma growled to herself as she stared helplessly at her devastated kitchen. Apparently Vegeta had actually left the confines of the gravity room just long enough to empty the entire kitchen of anything edible. He had also managed to destroy everything in the process. "Ughh!! I will make that Vegetable- Brain pay!" Bulma huffed as she carefully tiptoed around empty pickle jars, soup cans, ice cream cartons and other unrecognizable containers. She then inspected the refrigerator door that was now sandwiched between the two smashed halves of the kitchen table. Three cabinet doors were thrown about the room and all of the remaining cabinets were barely identifiable as cabinets. Bulma rubbed her temples and thanked Kami for Tylenol.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye Bulma could see something on the counter hidden under banana peals and cookie dough wrappers. She immediately cracked a smile as she recognized the small piece of machinery. Bulma quickly trudged through the muck to get to the counter and unbury her favorite gadget. She then let out a small giggle as she realized her precious appliance had been the only thing in the kitchen that had remained untouched by the hungry Saiyan. "Well at least Vegie-Head knows not to mess with my Mr. Coffee!" She laughed to herself and poured herself some of the life-sustaining java. It was hard to imagine the gruff Saiyan delicately avoiding her prized Mr. Coffee Machine during his crazy food binge.  
  
After Bulma had told her cleaning-bots to clear out the kitchen she took her coffee and then went outside to enjoy the beautiful morning. Bulma yawned and stretched gingerly as she started her stroll through the Capsule Corp grounds. She couldn't help but wonder why the Saiyan had spared her Mr. Coffee, and as she wondered she couldn't help but giggle at the thought of the proud Prince trying to avoid the machine in hopes of escaping her fury. As much as she hated his destructive habits, she loved their verbal battles far more. She especially loved the more flirtatious battles that had begun after her breakup with Yamcha two weeks ago. Now that she was free from the tired relationship she couldn't help but feel the attraction she had for the prince. It was impossible to ignore that sexy smirk of his and that tight hard body. Oh Kami, I'm getting flushed just thinking about it.  
  
Just then Bulma successfully walked smack into Vegeta spilling her coffee all over both of them. Bulma yelped as the hot coffee stung her right arm. At the same time Bulma heard Vegeta grumble something about "Stupid. grumble. woman. coffee.. grumble." Bulma sheepishly looked up at the powerful prince while trying to fan the stinging skin on her arm. To Bulma's surprise Vegeta wasn't very angry, he was more amused.  
  
"Woman, if this is how you're going to repay me, next time I'll think twice about sparing your precious machine." Vegeta said trying to bait the little female into a fight. Vegeta then easily snatched the coffee mug that Bulma had hurled toward his head. The human growled at him causing Vegeta to flash an infamous smirk. Bulma put her hands on her hips and stepped closer to the muscular brute trying to intimidate him with her girlish attributes. Vegeta eyed Bulma and knew immediately what game she was trying to play with him. Vegeta moved even closer to Bulma and watched as her cheeks flushed. He always knew how to fluster the woman with her own game. Vegeta then crushed the mug in his hand with a simple flex of his palm, extremely amused as Bulma's cheeks flushed a darker shade of red, this time with attraction and anger. "Oops." Vegeta said in a low husky voice, teasing Bulma as best he could.  
  
Vegeta loved playing this flirtatious game with the human female. She always tried to use her curvaceous body to distract him, and Vegeta was always amused when she tried to entice him with her feminine powers. It was a good thing that Vegeta had perfect control over his body and actions; otherwise the little woman might have actually won a battle or two. Whether an argument began with the throwing of insults or the throwing of objects, recently each battle had become more and more sexually charged. Secretly Vegeta was glad the woman had dumped the weakling human with the scarred face. Their arguments had become so much more entertaining since then.  
  
Sensing that Vegeta was in an extremely playful mood Bulma thought that she should try the seductress approach again this time with as much spice as she could dish out. Nibbling her pouty lower lip and batting her eyelashes Bulma moved in on her prey. She once again moved closer to the prince, this time allowing her chest to lightly brush against his blue fighting suit. Bulma blew lightly on the Saiyan's earlobe and began to purr "Vegeta. now how am I supposed to drink my coffee?" Noticing Vegeta's extreme amusement, Bulma then licked one delicate finger and traced the area where the coffee had spilled on Vegeta's thigh and hip. She could feel Vegeta's eyes intently on her and could feel the heat radiating from his body. Bulma slowly and teasingly brought her finger to her mouth and licked it.  
  
Vegeta watched the blue-haired female intently; this was definitely the most daring display he had seen from her. His eyes wandered from the low cut Capsule Corp tank top to the frayed denim short-shorts. Vegeta's self- control was tested as Bulma's chest gently brushed against his torso. This little earthling was more enticing than he had first thought.  
  
As Vegeta was about to respond to Bulma's teasing advance Bulma let out a slight squeal as she realized what had started lightly brushing and tickling her ankle. "Ve-Vegeta, when did your tail grow back?!?" Vegeta's smirk grew as he latched the fury appendage around Bulma's ankle and laughed at her nervous, and curious expression.  
  
Vegeta then took Bulma's right wrist in his hand and brought her arm to his mouth. Holding her wrist to his shoulder, Vegeta then slowly licked the area of her bare arm where the coffee had spilled. Bulma gasped as the gorgeous Saiyan teasingly licked her sensitive skin. Vegeta was still staring intently at her and Bulma could only stand there wide-eyed, putty in the prince's hands. Bulma then realized that Vegeta's free hand had managed to snake around to the small of her back, lightly pressing her body against his strong frame. Bulma's leg began to squirm as Vegeta's tail inched higher and higher up her leg, tickling her the entire time. The furry apendage began playing with the frayed edges of Bulma's short shorts, gingerly tickling her bottom in the process. Bulma immediately began giggling and squirming in his grasp trying to escape the torturous tickling.  
  
Vegeta's ear suddenly twitched and Vegeta abruptly stopped his ministrations. Vegeta chuckled as he heard the little woman whimper in disappointment. Vegeta gave Bulma one last tickle with his tail and removed himself from the flushed female. "You may want to compose yourself woman, I don't think your father would want to see you in such a. flustered state." Bulma gave him a questioning look and was about to open her mouth when.  
  
"Bulma. where are you pumpkin?" Dr. Briefs called from the Capsule Corp doorway. "Oh. I'm over here Daddy!" Bulma called and waved towards her father making sure he had spotted her. Bulma nonchalantly took another step away from Vegeta as she whispered, "I'm glad to know that your big ears aren't just for decoration." Vegeta cursed something under his breath while he crossed his arms, once again allowing a stoic expression take over his features.  
  
"Just the two people I was looking for!" Dr. Briefs said after finally making his way to his daughter and the unruly Saiyan. "Bulma, would you mind doing a full diagnostics test of space ship 0642? I need to make sure everything is in working order before the takeoff this afternoon."  
  
"No problem Daddy, but whose going into space?" Bulma said wondering who on earth could possibly need to go to space. "All the Z-Fighters are training for the androids right now, so who could it possibly be?"  
  
"Why, it's Vegeta of course." Dr. Briefs said, like he was stating the obvious. Vegeta watched as the earthling woman's face contorted with a mixture of emotions. Vegeta wondered if maybe the woman had become slightly attached to him. Or rather, had become attached to their flirtatious battles. Vegeta found himself surprisingly pleased at the idea of either.  
  
Bulma was confused as well as upset. She didn't want Vegeta to leave just as they were both starting to enjoy each others company. well sort of. Who else could she yell at and stare shamelessly at and flirt with all at the same time? Plus, now that Yamcha was out of her life, she knew she would be extremely lonely without the gruff Saiyan hanging around.  
  
"But Vegeta, you just came back from space a month ago!! I mean, you've already done the whole Go-Into-Space-And-Become-A-Super-Saiyan thing. Doesn't it make more sense for you to stay here and train in the gravity room preparing for the androids rather than going and doing Kami-knows-what in outer space?"  
  
Bulma hoped she hadn't sounded as desperate as she felt. She couldn't believe she was pleading with Vegeta to stay on earth. Bulma didn't want Vegeta to know exactly how badly she wanted him to stay on earth. She knew that to Vegeta she was just a toy to play with when he was in the mood. If the prince found out that she wished that she could be more than just his toy Bulma feared that he would be disgusted with her for having such a silly idea. It wasn't Bulma's fault that she was a sucker for his hard bod and bad attitude.  
  
"I will do as I please woman!" Vegeta said in his usual cold voice. Bulma found Vegeta's body was rigid and his tail was now securely fashioned around his waist. The playfulness had escaped from his voice and his features. Bulma was crushed that Vegeta could be so heartless to her after the moment they had shared. Even if it had been just a physical closeness and not an emotional. Trying to mask her hurt with anger Bulma gave Vegeta the middle finger and stormed off to spaceship 0642 and slammed the door behind her. Huffing as she clenched her fists tightly Bulma walked over to the command console to begin the diagnostics test. "Damn that Vegeta, why does he always have to act like such a hardass? I'm sick of him pretending to be heartless with me whenever other people around! It's probably better this way, I don't need him. GOOD RIDDENCE!" Bulma said as she tried desperately to keep back tears.  
  
The end of Vegeta's tail began to twitch agitatedly as the sound of the slamming space ship door still reverberated in his ear. 'Damn that woman, why does she have to be so loud about everything. well at least everything is going to plan.'  
  
"Maybe she's PMSing." Dr. Briefs said shrugging his shoulders, showing his obvious lack of understanding when it comes to complicated female emotions and actions. Vegeta rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of the earthling in front of him. "I hope you have a good journey Vegeta. Oh, and here's that gadget you asked for. it's programmed to translate most of the alien languages in our Solar System. I hope it comes in handy." Dr. Briefs said, handing Vegeta the small translator. Vegeta eyed the small device as Dr. Briefs headed towards Capsule Corp. Little did Dr. Briefs realize that this device wasn't meant for Vegeta, but for a certain blue haired earthling.  
  
***To Be Continued*** 


	2. A Tender Touch

Author's Note: Thanx to all the peeps that left me such encouraging reviews! I really hope you like my fic, hehehe I think it's turning out to be pretty interesting. ^_^ there are tons of twists coming up in the future mwah ha ha. you'll just have to wait to find out what they are. Anyways, sorry if it seems like the mood of this fic changes quickly, but that's life. one minute everything's comin up roses, the next. well you know what I mean. Alrighty, I'll be quiet now. ENJOY! (oh yea, pleaseeeee pleaseeeeeeeee pleaseeeeeeeeeee leave some reviews)  
  
Disclaimer: If you think I own DBZ or any other copyrighted material that I have slipped into this fanfic. I suggest you refill your meds, or seek professional assistance.  
  
What Once Was Lost  
  
Chapter 2 - A Tender Touch  
  
Bulma screwed metal grid #226 back in place. The diagnostics test had shown some glitches in the main navigational circuit. Progress was slow going and Bulma had been alone in the spaceship for almost two hours. Bulma had to check the entire main navigational circuit board for loose connections. It wasn't helping Bulma's progress that she kept becoming distracted by thoughts of Vegeta. Bulma turned up the volume on her Walkman in attempts of getting the Saiyan out of her head. She then let out an exasperated sigh and viciously unscrewed the next grids, she still had hundreds of connections to check.  
  
Vegeta stepped inside the spaceship and closed the door silently behind him. He could sense Bulma's ki on the far side of the ship, in the utilities room down the corridor from the control room where he now stood. 'This is too easy.' Vegeta thought as he silently approached the control panel. Vegeta stared blankly at the control keypad in front of him. Once the spaceship launch commenced there would be no way for Vegeta to go back. This was the defining moment; Vegeta knew it was the beginning of the chain of events that would lead to their uncertain future. Plugging in the desired coordinates Vegeta set the navigational system on AUTOPILOT. After double-checking the set coordinates Vegeta took a deep breath and pressed the LAUNCH button.  
  
Bulma felt the ship lurch beneath her and quickly took off her headphones. She hadn't heard anyone in the control room, but then again her music was playing pretty loudly. The ship couldn't be taking off, it just couldn't. Vegeta knew she was still inside the ship, didn't he? Bulma didn't understand what was going on, she quickly screwed grid #227 back in place and showed her tools back in her tool belt. As Bulma rushed through the spaceship corridor she could feel the beginning rumblings of the takeoff. Bulma grabbed onto a large support beam trying to steady herself. It was obvious now that the ship was taking off, all Bulma could hope was that she could find a safe spot for herself to lessen the harmful impact of the take off. Bulma let her body slide to the floor while still holding tightly to the support beam. The ship was moving much more violently now and Bulma could barely keep her grasp on the support beam. Bulma screamed as she was violently jerked about, but her scream was silenced when her head collided with the support beam knocking her out.  
  
Vegeta's tail flailed wildly as he rushed in the direction of the scream. Vegeta had not taken into account the fact that the rough takeoff would be so dangerous for the little earthling. Vegeta reached Bulma only seconds after she had been knocked unconscious. HE found her sprawled on the corridor floor with tendrils of her long teal hair flowing around her. Vegeta growled to himself as he noticed the small bleeding gash above Bulma's eyebrow. Vegeta gathered the earthling in his arms and headed down the corridor.  
  
The ship stopped rumbling as Vegeta entered the bedroom. He laid Bulma down on the large bed and took her tool belt and shoes off realizing that the little creature would probably be unconscious for a long time. Vegeta's eyes once again fell on the gash above Bulma's eyebrow. Against Vegeta's better judgment he leaned over her and licked her wound. The gash quickly stopped bleeding due to Vegeta's instinctive gesture. He cautiously covered the female and left the bedroom, trying to ignore the pleasure he had felt in holding the woman tightly to him. Vegeta walked gruffly towards the spaceship gravity room knowing that he would put his body and mind through hell for the next few hours.  
  
***  
  
Bulma awoke confused, disoriented, and had a splitting headache. She looked around the room trying to recognize where she was. Unfortunately it was too dark and she was too groggy to remember she was in the spaceship. Bulma whimpered as she fearfully examined the area above her eyebrow with her fingers. Bulma moaned as even her delicate touch shot pain through her head. Bulma sniffled and curled herself into he fetal position. As Bulma slowly became more aware of her surroundings she noticed the soft sound of a running shower in a room close by. Her memory still escaping her, Bulma was fearful of whoever was in the shower. She started to shake with fear when she heard the shower suddenly turn off. Bulma tried not to panic and desperately tried to recall what had happened before she blacked out. But the pain in her head and the overwhelming fear was outweighing her attempt at logical thinking.  
  
Vegeta stepped out of the shower and dried himself by flaring his ki. He had only been in the gravity room a few hours but he had forced himself to train at a level that would have killed any normal Saiyan Elite. Since Vegeta had reached Super Saiyan he had realized how much he needed to improve before the androids came. Vegeta was determined to defeat the androids himself and get back the pride that Kakorott had stolen from him. Vegeta would have worked out until he collapsed if his mind hadn't kept wandering back to the blue haired earthling. Vegeta wasn't accustomed to worrying about others, the feeling irked him so he decided to give his body a rest and check on her. When Vegeta had found Bulma still unconscious he decided to take a shower to pass the time, plus he did kinda have BO from his workout. Vegeta pulled on his royal-blue boxers and frowned when he heard the whimpering female in the room next door. It was good that she was awake but this also meant that Vegeta would have to explain himself. Vegeta's frown deepened when the woman's whimpers became panicked gasps and sobs. 'What's wrong with the woman now?!'  
  
Bulma shut her eyes tightly and tried to control her shaking as she heard the bathroom door open. Bulma knew that in her state she would never go unnoticed; she also knew that freaking out wasn't going to help the situation. She tried to take a few normal breaths before she addressed the silent person who had entered the room. "Who's there? What's going on? Why am I here?" Bulma squeaked before she let out another sob.  
  
The unbridled fear that Vegeta heard in Bulma's voice unnerved him. He was extremely disturbed watching the normally proud woman curled up in a mass of shaking sobs. Vegeta's tail twitched nervously behind him as he observed the terrified woman. The gash on Bulma's head wasn't deep, but she had obviously sustained a hard enough blow to disturb her memory and make her as disoriented as she was now.  
  
"Woman there is no need to fear, it's only me. You're safe here in the space ship." Vegeta said quietly as he cautiously approached Bulma. He didn't want to upset her anymore in her already frightened state.  
  
"Ve-Vegeta?" Bulma stuttered trying to get her eyes to focus on the moving figure coming her way. A tear slid down Bulma's face in relief. Bulma tried to sit up but couldn't because of her shakiness and dizziness. Bulma put a hand on her sensitive head and moaned due to the throbbing pain. "Vegeta. wh-what's going on?" Bulma said still slightly panicked.  
  
"Calm down." Vegeta said softly as he came to the edge of the bed. "I already told you, there is nothing to worry about. You got knocked unconscious during takeoff, which you obviously don't remember. There's nobody else on the ship besides me, so you don't have to worry about anyone hurting you."  
  
Bulma once again tried to sit up shakily. But this time before she had fallen back into her pillow, Vegeta had sat on the edge of the bed and had steadied her in his arms. Bulma stared groggily at him trying to bring Vegeta into focus. Vegeta hated seeing the tear stained face, the heavy perspiration, and the shakiness that the panic had brought to the pretty little woman. Vegeta watched as Bulma slowly recognized him. Bulma let out another sigh of relief and whispered "Thank Kami" Just loud enough for his Saiyan ears to pick up. Bulma cautiously rested her head against Vegeta's bare chest. When Vegeta didn't object Bulma allowed herself to collapse into Vegeta's warm and comforting body.  
  
Vegeta's eyes widened as Bulma took comfort in their closeness. His rigid features softened slightly as the little creature's shakiness slowly became less violent. Vegeta let his arms encircle Bulma gently, trying to help calm the flustered creature. Vegeta's hands instinctively began to lightly rub her back until she had stopped shaking completely. Vegeta could tell by Bulma's soft rhythmic breathing that she had fallen asleep. He looked at the woman in his arms trying to understand how after all his hard cold years of solitude this silly female had managed to crack his shell. Vegeta knew that this time he would allow nothing to come between him and the one he cared for, he would not be alone again.  
  
***To Be Continued*** 


	3. Tricky Landing

Author's Note: Hey peeps! I'm glad that people are enjoying my fic, though they're few in number my readers are super important to me! ^_^ And I'm real sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. This chapter is slightly longer than the first two and as I already told Android18 -I've been busy doing slave labor for my dad. I still don't think it's legal for parents to force their children to paint for 6 hours a day without payment. ::grumble:: Oh well, I suppose I'll live. Oh yea, I apologize in advance for this chapter. I was super-duper hungry for a bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwich when I wrote the beginning of this chapter. So if you're hungry right now, go grab a snack. if you don't you may find urself getting hungry as you read the beginning. Hehehe! Anyways, I'm really proud of this chapter. It's kinda funny and then kinda dramatic and kinda cute at the same time. Now that takes some major freaking skills to do! Lol, I'm just jokin. Anyways, I should stop babbling now and let you peeps read chapter 3. ENJOY!!! ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: If you think I own DBZ or any other copyrighted material that I have slipped into this fanfic. I suggest you refill your meds, or seek professional assistance.  
  
What Once Was Lost  
  
Chapter 3 - Tricky Landing  
  
Bulma lazily stretched and opened her eyes. The throbbing in her head was gone and her mind was finally clear. Bulma slowly sat up piecing together her weird memories from recent events. She was sure she had been checking the circuits when the ship started taking off. But she couldn't quite remember what had happened after that. Her next memory was of waking up terrified with a painful gash on her forehead. Bulma's fingers gingerly brushed the area above her eyebrow as she remembered. After examining the painful area she cautiously uncovered herself and stepped out of the oversized bed. Bulma's eyes immediately fell on the gold-tipped boots and blue fighting suit that were resting on a large chair in the corner. Bulma smiled and giggled to herself as the most recent of her memories flooded her mind. It was hard to believe that the mighty prince of the Saiyans had held her in his arms and rubbed her back until she had fallen asleep.  
  
As she stood there Bulma's nose picked up the faint smell of bacon and eggs and Bulma's stomach lightly growled in response to the delicious scent. Bulma lightly padded across the room wondering how long she had been asleep and how long it had been since her last meal. As she shyly pushed the bedroom door open the delicious smell of breakfast became stronger. Bulma quietly snuck through the spaceship corridor following her nose to the deluxe spaceship kitchen. Trying to go unnoticed, Bulma peaked into the kitchen while the rest of her body was still concealed by the wall.  
  
Bulma could not believe what she saw. Vegeta, proud prince of the Saiyans, was actually cooking for himself! But even more shocking than that, he wasn't destroying anything in the process. The kitchen was actually still relatively neat, and Bulma thought the food might actually be edible. Bulma could feel her intense hunger increase as she stared at the mounds of eggs, bacon, and toast that had been set on the table. Before Bulma could make her presence known to Vegeta through a good-morning greeting Bulma's stomach decided to shorten the process by growling at a volume that made Vegeta's ears twitch slightly.  
  
Bulma put one hand on her noisy stomach and sheepishly stepped out from behind her hiding spot. Vegeta didn't even glance at her, telling Bulma that he had already known she was there. 'Just once I would like to catch that big old Saiyan by surprise.' Bulma giggled at herself and eyed the prince as he put the last batch of fried eggs on the table with the rest of the meal. Bulma couldn't help but stare shamelessly at his perfect body; those royal-blue boxers didn't leave much to the imagination.  
  
Vegeta could tell that the woman was checking out his body. But he couldn't blame her, what woman could resist the sight of a half naked super Saiyan prince who was practically perfect in every way? Vegeta smirked at Bulma and began to stare shamelessly at the female's scantily clad body.  
  
Bulma could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks as Vegeta began to intently go over her body with his eyes. Somehow she wasn't surprised that Vegeta was an eye-for-an-eye kind of man. errr Saiyan. Bulma cleared her throat nervously and crossed her arms in hopes of ruining Vegeta's view.  
  
"It's nothing you haven't flaunted in front of me before woman." Vegeta said gruffly as he sat down to begin his meal. The little female let out a growl and Vegeta couldn't help but chuckle when he felt her punch his arm with all the strength she had. "That wasn't a very smart thing to do." He chuckled as he watched Bulma nurse her soar fist. Vegeta could hear Bulma grumble under her breath, "stupid. Saiyan. grumble. jerk. grumble" as she delicately grabbed one fried egg, one piece of toast, and two strips of bacon from the enormous mounds of food that were directly in front of Vegeta for easy access.  
  
Bulma set her food down on her plate and sat down across from Vegeta. She tried not to stare at Vegeta as he shoveled food into his mouth. Bulma had a million questions to ask him, but it was pretty obvious that the Saiyan didn't want to be bothered by conversation while he ate as only a freaky alien with a tail could. Bulma focused on her own meal and was amazed at how edible it was. Not that fried eggs and toast are a hard meal to prepare, but for someone who trashes the kitchen during late night binges he could make a mean breakfast.  
  
As Bulma finished her meal Vegeta shoveled in the last of his eggs-bacon- and-toast breakfast. It never ceased to amaze her how much food he could eat at one sitting, he was almost as bad as Goku! Bulma giggled as Vegeta let out a contented sigh and patted his stomach. She giggled even more when she noticed the end on Vegeta's tail bristling and curling with contentment. 'The only time you will catch that brute truly happy is right after a meal' Bulma thought as she got up and popped her plate in the dishwasher. Bulma then assigned a cleaning bot to work on the rest of the pots and pans. Bulma turned to Vegeta about to go through her list of zillions of questions but he was already gone.  
  
"Damnit Vegeta! Where do you think you're sneaking off to? I need to talk to you! You have some MAJOR explaining to do!" Bulma screeched loud enough so that the prince's ears began to ring even all the way down the corridor. "I mean, what the hell is going on? Why am I in space with you? Why were you so nice to me last night? Since when do you cook breakfast? And why are you walking around in boxers?!?!" Bulma's onslaught of questions was suddenly halted when a loud systems alarm sounded throughout the spaceship.  
  
"Navigational systems error. Spaceship set course aborted. Entering unknown planet's atmosphere. Crash-landing imminent. Thank you for choosing Capsule Corp space travel, have a nice day." Said the cheery female announcer's voice. The ship then began to rumble and lurch slightly as the red emergency lights began to flash.  
  
"That's bad, that's very bad." Was all tha t Bulma could manage to say. The navigational system must have had more than just a few loose circuit connections. She knew that the spaceship would probably not withstand a full on crash-landing, and the likelihood of her surviving was slim to none. Bulma could do nothing but stare hopelessly at the corridor floor while these thoughts went through her head.  
  
"Shit! Why does this kinda stuff always have to happen to me? Just when everything was starting to go to plan, grrrr!" Vegeta growled as he headed back down the corridor towards Bulma. He knew from her blank expression that she was in a silent state of panic and she would be of no help if she was in a panic. "Woman?" But the blue-haired earthling remained silent. Vegeta quickly but cautiously approached Bulma and tried once more to coax her out of her panic, "Woman?" This time the little earthling looked up at the Saiyan showing him the fear in her clear blue eyes.  
  
"Vegeta, this is bad, really bad." Bulma said in a hushed tone. "I don't know what to do. I don't think the ship would survive a full on head-on crash-landing. I don't think there's much hope of us surviving either." She said allowing her gaze to shift back to the corridor floor. Bulma could usually think her way out of anything, but this time she wasn't sure if there was any way out.  
  
Vegeta placed his hand under Bulma's chin and raised her face to him so that her gaze once again met his dark eyes. "Focus woman, think of something. I know you can think of something." Vegeta said with more caring in his voice than he had meant to allow himself to convey. Vegeta could see that something had begun to click in the woman's mind, she had finally focused. Vegeta stared into Bulma's eyes and her mind started to quickly formulate new ideas and plans. She soon allowed a smile to grace her face as she decided on a plan that would hopefully conclude in their survival. "I've got it." Was all Bulma said to Vegeta before she ran down the corridor towards the control room.  
  
Vegeta walked to the control room, he did not run. He felt no need to run, he had complete confidence in the woman's plan, whatever it was. Although he was usually reluctant to admit it, he knew that Bulma was brilliant. He had complete faith in her mental capabilities. The only times she was not up to her usual genius standard was when her emotions hindered the strength of her mind. Vegeta smiled lightly to himself as he thought of Bulma. 'That silly woman's emotions change so quickly, no wonder that weakling Yamcha couldn't handle her.'  
  
Vegeta's mind was brought back to the emergency at hand upon arriving in the control room. He watched as the blue-haired woman feverishly tried to override the navigational system's autopilot mode. Vegeta approached the command console where Bulma was vehemently typing at a speed that bordered on crazy. He could hear the little earthling lightly talking to herself as the speed of her moving fingers increased. Suddenly, the red emergency lights stopped flashing and the cheery computer's voice addressed the two passengers. "Autopilot mode override. Manuel navigational system now active. The ship will be entering unknown planet's second atmosphere in 30 seconds. Impact with the surface will take place in approximately 3 minutes. Thank you for choosing Capsule Corp space travel, have a nice day."  
  
Bulma allowed herself no celebration for her small victory. Now that she had overridden the navigational autopilot mode she was going to have to use the manual controls to somehow slow the spaceship down and lighten the impact of the crash landing. Bulma briefly noticed Vegeta beside her at the controls closely monitoring her actions. "I can't focus with you standing there watching me! You're a smart monkey, use the information bank in the main computer to see if you can get me any information on the planet we're about to crash into. It's really important for you ton find out what it's surface and terrain is like."  
  
Vegeta's tail bristled at Bulma's monkey comment but he resisted the urge to snap back at the blue-haired female with a combative insult. It was obvious that this was not the time to engage the feisty woman in a verbal battle, 'I'll just have to get her back for that little outburst later.' He knew Bulma needed to concentrate fully in order for her plan to work. Though Vegeta would undoubtedly survive a crash-landing he knew it was unlikely that a weak earthling would make it through alive. But even if the little earthlings plan fell through Vegeta had a plan of his own, he wasn't going to let a silly crash take her away. He wasn't going to allow anything to take her away.  
  
Vegeta then approached the main computer's console warily, though he was an extremely intelligent Saiyan he usually stayed away from complicated human technology. Due to lack of patience, any human device that had more that 20 buttons or knobs on it was likely to blow up when handled by Vegeta. He cautiously began to search the computers information bank for any data on the planet they would soon collide with. Vegeta raised an intrigued eyebrow as he guided easily through the vast amounts of stored information searching for planets with the same stats as the planet the ship was looming towards. 'I really am a smart monkey. Shit, I did not just think that. Damn that woman!'  
  
Bulma worked quickly and soon was able to direct the basic ship navigational functions through her manipulation of the navigation console controls. Bulma's eyes traveled to the large vid screen in front of the navigational console, she could see the planet they were approaching through the large display. The entire planet was a lush burgundy color, Bulma's heart sank when she assumed that the surface of such a planet would be composed of jagged rocks and caverns that would be hazardous in the emergency landing. There was very little she could do to save the ship from destruction if the planet had that type of surface.  
  
"The planet is relatively small in size and is full of insignificant weaklings of the worst kind. They are puny simpletons that wouldn't know a fight if it bit them in the ass. The planet is covered in a thick canopy of dark purple foliage, it's probably dense enough to hamper the crash." Vegeta barked as he crossed his arms and took that infamously sexy stance of his. He watched as a relieved look washed over Bulma's face, but as soon as it had appeared the look disappeared. Bulma once again focused on the controls and feverishly began to type commands into the navigational console.  
  
Vegeta watched the planet as the ship approached it's surface. There was only about a minute left before they would hit the surface. He tried his best to suppress the worry that was beginning to build in the pit of his stomach. It was still doubtful that the ship would remain unharmed, and that meant that there was still a high possibility of the woman getting seriously injured. It was time for Vegeta to execute his own plan, even if it was just to be safe. The agitated Saiyan stalked towards the woman working vehemently at the navigational console. Vegeta's tail was thrashing violently as he once again took his place standing beside Bulma.  
  
Bulma had managed to dramatically slow down the speed of the moving spaceship. Now all she had to do was aim the ships crash in an area where the damage would be the least. Bulma scanned the vid screen for the most dense area of foliage on the surface, she immediately focused in on the large swell of plant life in the northern region of the planet. Bulma plugged in the final coordinates for that area and silently prayed to Kami to watch over them. She then noticed Vegeta standing closely beside her. He was watching her intently and she suddenly felt safe and protected.  
  
"Impact with surface in approximately 20 seconds. Emergency landing protocols activated. Thank you for choosing Capsule Corp space travel and have a nice landing." The computer's obnoxiously cheery voice reminded them. Bulma looked up at Vegeta's stern expression, it was hard to decipher but she swore she could see a little bit of concern buried deep in his eyes.  
  
"I've done all I can Vegeta, now it's out of my hands." Bulma's gaze slipped from the Saiyan's dark eyes as she tried to fight the sense of dread that was beginning to wash over her. The situation was now out of her control, now the rest was up to luck.  
  
"But it's not out of my hands woman." Vegeta said gruffly as the ship began to rumble ferociously. He noticed Bulma's azure eyes were full of fear as they stared at him questioningly. Vegeta encircled his arms around the small female and gently pulled her close. She let out a slight gasp as he pulled her body against his firm frame.  
  
Bulma could feel a warm force begin to surround her. Bulma realized that the golden energy was radiating from Vegeta, he was surrounding the both of them in his ki. Looking into his face she could now clearly see the concern in Vegeta's eyes. Bulma had never felt more safe than she did that moment in his embrace under his protective gaze. Bulma allowed her arms to surround Vegeta's neck and she leant her cheek against his chest. The ship's ferocious rumble suddenly turned into violent thrashing. Bulma closed her eyes tightly and tightened her grip on the strong prince. In response, Vegeta tightened his grip on the female and raised his power level to increase the strength of his ki shield.  
  
"Crash-landing in 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . ." But the computers voice what shut off before it could reach two. The entire ship blacked out so that the only light in the entire spacecraft was the golden glow given off by Vegeta.  
  
***To Be Continued***  
  
AN: Sorry guys, I know that was a super-duper evil place to leave off but that will hopefully make you wanna read the next chapter real bad! (Well, I can always hope!) I wanna ask you guys something, have you guys heard that twentienth century fox and funimation are teaming up with Akira Toriyamato make a live action DBZ movie?!?! I don't really know what to think yet, one thing I do know though -If they mess up Vegeta I'm gonna go seriously postal on their asses. Anyways, I'm still wonderin how they're gonna pull off the hair. A poll taken at the official DBZ site said that people want Jet Li to play Goku. Hmmm, interesting. Someone suggested Donnie Yen for Vegeta, so I looked him up. He's got potential (along with washboard ab O_~ Teehee). But I was just wondering what u guys were thinking. Email me if you wanna discuss it, I need a new DBZ email buddy. Just send me a quick email at xerexs2001@hotmail.com if you wanna chat about the DBZ movie or any old thing. Oh yea, I almost forgot. I'm gonna be 16 August 7th! ^_^ All I want for my birthday are a good number of reviews. Please?!?! I promise to be a good girl and update soon if you do! Hehehe, alright thanks for reading. Later peeps. 


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